Chapter 104: Technique Deduction
Chapter 104: Technique Deduction
By evening, the Dark Mist spread once more, but this time it was calm because Li Si had killed every Mist Demon within a hundred-mile radius.
The Floating Cloud Sect’s relocation and settlement efforts were nearing completion. Parts of the protective array surrounding Kaoshan City had also been activated. The most noticeable change? It felt much warmer now.
That bone-penetrating Yin chill was kept outside. Everyone felt more alive.
Li Si woke in his Quiet Room. That was his strongest impression. His five senses had strengthened at least tenfold. Through walls, through heavy barriers, he could even ‘see’ what people were saying a hundred meters away.
Was this the change brought by his Soul Evolution Level reaching 31%?
Today, he had received vast amounts of unimaginable information from the Phantom Bride. But the core point was simply that he was too weak.
“Junior Brother, are you there?”
Jiang Ying’s voice called from outside his door.
“Here.”
Li Si answered. He was about to get up and open the door when Jiang Ying spoke again, “The Master has ordered three months of wall-facing reflection for you. This pot of Hundred Herb Soul-Restoring Decoction, I’ll leave it by your door. Junior Brother, what did you do? The Master seemed furious, talking about stringing you up for a whipping.”
“You don’t know?”
“No idea, that’s why I’m asking you.”
“Oh, then I’m relieved.”
Li Si brushed it off verbally, but internally panicked. This shouldn’t be! Impossible! Caught so quickly? He hadn’t done anything truly monstrous!
Outside the door, Jiang Ying looked baffled. “Kid, you’ve gotten really bold lately. Honestly, the Master is right. A good whipping would probably settle you down. And now you dare avoid my questions?”
“Senior Sister, how could I? I plan to enter seclusion to cultivate for a while. Sorry to trouble you bringing my food each day. After some time, I’ll go carry thorny branches to apologize to the Master.” Li Si quickly placated her.
“Something still feels off with you! Alright, just be careful cultivating. Don’t let Inner Demons catch you off guard.” Jiang Ying warned one last time before leaving.
Li Si felt uneasy, but wall-facing reflection wasn’t bad. He felt guilty every time he saw the Old Madam now.
Hmm… When are we moving again?
“Wait! I don’t have the fourth-layer technique of the [Heaven-Turning Scripture]! How can I cultivate?” Li Si suddenly realized. The Old Madam couldn’t have forgotten this. Did she think his cultivation speed was too fast?
After some thought, he took out the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] given to him by Shendanzi. It was a complete technique with nine layers, corresponding to Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, Void Refining, Heavenly Tribulation, Great Ascension, and True Immortal.
Li Si didn’t rush to cultivate. Instead, he flipped through the manual. The core essence of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] was to “mend Heaven’s deficiencies.” The word “mend” was crucial. How to mend it, and the method used, defined this technique.
Meanwhile, the Floating Cloud Sect’s [Heaven-Turning Scripture] had the core essence: “Beyond Salvation, Reimagine the Universe.”
Comparing the two, Li Si noticed something interesting. Shendanzi’s [Scripture of Heaven Mending] operated on the belief that Heaven could still be saved and repaired.
The Floating Cloud Sect’s [Heaven-Turning Scripture] firmly held that Heaven was beyond saving, requiring a complete reinvention of the universe.
Reconsidering the Cultivator’s fundamental tenet – “Emulate the Heavens and Earth” – he sensed an inexplicable strangeness here.
For example, the senior Cultivator who originally created the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] – what made him believe Heaven could still be mended?
And the Old Madam who created the [Heaven-Turning Scripture] – what evidence led her to conclude Heaven was beyond salvation, needing to rebuild the universe?
They must have glimpsed some true essence of this world or the Mortal Realm.
After much deliberation, Li Si decided to attempt it. First, he applied his Heart-Clearing Domain, Disaster-Averting Domain, and Heart-searching Soul Seal to himself. Then, he silently recited the first layer technique of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] and began cultivating it step by step.
Whether it was because the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] was overly simple, or because his current combination of Flawless Dao Body + Fetal Breathing Dao Body + Crystal Clear Dao Heart + Bedrock Dao Heart stacks were outrageously powerful…
He succeeded in grasping the basics in less than half an hour. Completely focused, merely another hour passed before he had fully cultivated the first layer of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] to 100% progress. Insanely fast!
Meaning, if he were a beginner, he’d be a Qi Refining realm Cultivator already.
However, Li Si’s expression turned odd. While meditating, some messages had appeared unnoticed. Only seeing them now did he realize things weren’t that simple.
“You have comprehended the introductory truth of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending]. This technique can be cultivated alongside the [Heaven-Turning Scripture].”
“You have comprehended the first layer of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] and the first layer of the [Heaven-Turning Scripture]. Consume 100 units of Black Fortune to deduce the fusion and further elevation of both techniques. Success Rate: 34%.”
—
“Huh? The Fate Forge has this function? Still, not that surprising.”
Li Si thought to himself. Previously, the Fate Forge could repair incomplete Dao Techniques and evolve ordinary Dao Techniques into Divine Abilities. So deducing techniques naturally followed.
But the success rate was frustratingly low.
“It seems the compatibility between the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] and [Heaven-Turning Scripture] isn’t great.”
Li Si shook his head. Completing the first layer of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] did come with changes. For instance… a 100-point increase in Magic Power capacity.
Heh!
Also, the Magic Power produced by the Scripture of Heaven Mending felt different. While usable together, there was interference.
For example, beyond the four Dao Techniques / Divine Abilities – Artifact-Control Incantation, Armsmaster Control, Evil-Warding Curse, and Demon Slaying Thorn – all other Floating Cloud Sect Dao Techniques and Divine Abilities, if fueled by Heavenly Mending Magic Power, only produced 50% of their normal effect.
Yes. Straight up halved.
“Shendanzi, you old… are you messing with me?”
Li Si couldn’t help but grumble internally. Giving him the technique without the matching Dao Techniques or Divine Abilities? Wasn’t that a trap?
Still, cultivating the [Scripture of Heaven Mending] was necessary. Without it, he couldn’t operate that magic treasure, the Medicine King Cauldron.
Needless to say, trying to use the Floating Cloud Sect’s Heaven-Turning Magic Power would also halve its effect.
These secretive old masters, not much use against Evil Gods, but their technical barriers were quite impressive.
Next, Li Si continued cultivating the second layer of the [Scripture of Heaven Mending]. This time, it was slower. A whole night passed, and he only advanced his cultivation progress to 30%.
Slow. A bit too slow.
In the morning, after eating Senior Sister Jiang’s steaming Hundred Herb Soul-Restoring Decoction, he traded with the sly-looking Ji Chang who crept over for 100 units of Mushroom Remnant Husk. Yep. Officially within the Floating Cloud Sect, Ji Chang was now the one “hunting” Little Mushrooms. But whether by bad luck or something else, in these two days, constantly on the verge of a mental breakdown, he hadn’t managed to attract a single Little Mushroom.
“Swish!”
Li Si summoned the Hundred-League Law Seal and directly used its coordinates to enter the Illusory Realm.
It was completely different here compared to the Phantom Bride’s Illusory Realm. Much brighter for one. And instantly, he saw the Old Madam’s enormous Void True Form, towering tens of thousands of meters high. She seemed to be tirelessly slaying monstrous, mountain-sized beasts day and night.
Li Si also noticed his soul felt much more solid than before.
He remembered last time here, he’d looked like a transparent shadow. Now, with his Soul Evolution Level at 31%, it had gained a textured quality, like a painted portrait.
Glancing back, the Hundred-League Law Seal had transformed into a stubby one-meter-tall pillar. Nine dragon patterns drifted slowly around it, radiating a protective dome about three meters across.
Felt kinda weak now.
But Li Si had no time for reflection. Within moments, hundreds of different colored Little Mushrooms came flying from all directions. Plus, some extra-large Rainbow Mushrooms.
Clearly, his soul was still potent bait for Little Mushrooms.
“This feels risky! But no choice. Thankfully, the Old Madam’s backing me. No need to hold back.”
Li Si murmured to himself. He formed hand signs, activating the [Soul-Searching Curse]. Instantly, nine Soul-Searching Domains unfurled. In one sweeping motion, they gathered every Little Mushroom and Big Mushroom within several hundred meters into one net.
Well, first hunt. Can’t be too greedy.
Better stay humble, prevent attracting a Seven Emotions Tribulation…
Then, the very next second, he retreated back to the Mortal Realm via the Hundred-League Law Seal. And the nine Soul-Searching Domains followed him back, pulling the net full of Little Mushrooms forcefully into the Mortal Realm.
This was the natural function of the [Soul-Searching Curse].
For that moment, everyone in Kaoshan City got an unsolicited taste of shifting emotions and the ‘care’ of Little Mushrooms. But before these Mushrooms could fully unleash their power, Li Si unleashed his Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique in full force!
He channeled 100,000 points of Magic Power. Instantly, the sky above Kaoshan City churned with black clouds, flashing lightning, howling winds. Three hundred bolts of thunder boiled violently within the clouds.
A minute later, torrential rain poured down, whipped by strong winds.
Most people were stunned but also vaguely fascinated.
Only people within the Floating Cloud Sect like Xu Shen, Ji Chang, Jiang Ying, and figures similar to Zhang San, Cheng Tianhao, and Wang Wu could grasp the deeper truth. After all, there were hundreds of Little Mushrooms visible. They weren’t blind!
But what stunned them more was how aggressively and cleanly Li Si executed the Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique. Effortlessly eradicating all those Little Mushrooms in such a short time.
“Senior Brother Xu, was that you acting?”
Jiang Ying sent Xu Shen a message talisman. Receiving it, Xu Shen blinked in total bewilderment. Him? He’d just barely mastered the Fiend-Slaying Sword Qi! How could he possibly have found the time to practice one of the Floating Cloud Sect’s most notoriously difficult-in-the-last-thousand-years Divine Abilities?
“It couldn’t be Li Si? Impossible! I’ve got it. Must have been the Kaoshan Patriarch.”
Meanwhile, at the docks, Cheng Tianhao, directing a squadron of Temple Strider Knights, was also deeply impressed. “I had only heard rumors of a true secret transmission art within the Floating Cloud Sect called the Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique. Seeing it today is truly breathtaking! It surely must have been that Fairy Qingxie, bearing the Dao title Qingyunzi, who made her move. A pity I didn’t have the fortune to personally witness it.”
—
“Slayed…”
“Exempted…”
Inside the Quiet Room, messages scrolled like a waterfall. Li Si unhurriedly tallied his gains: Not much, just around one hundred thousand units of Black Fate Fuel.
As for Aberrant Corruption? Manageable. The special bonus effect of the Divine Heaven Thunder Control Technique directly negated 50% of the Aberrant Corruption. After further filtration by the Heart Cleansing Curse, Calamity-Dispelling Curse, Flawless Dao Body, and Fetal Breathing Dao Body, hardly any remained.
As for the Mushroom Remnant Husks and the like? He didn’t need to clean up. Xu Shen, Ji Chang, Jiang Ying, and others were already salvaging them. This harvest would keep everyone supplied with Hundred Herb Soul-Restoring Decoction for half a year.